Why so few MET PE's ??? 1

[CW3]

I will be taking the metallurgical PE exam ob Oct. 29 in Houston. I noticed that only 3 other candidates are signed up for the metallurgical exam. I also noticed that there are very very few MET exam takers nationwide. I was going to take the mechanical PE exam with the fluids depth section, but when I started looking at the material in the TMS study guide, I decided that the MET might be more up my alley. I deal with chemistry and materials as it applies in the power industry (power plant construction and commissioning). A person taking the mechanical exam has literally an unlimited supply of practice exams and problems to work with. Not so for the metallurgical exam. I know TMS is involved with the design of the exam (I'm a TMS member by the way). Is hoping that being able to understand EVERY problem in the 52-problem guide enough to confidently take the exam? Or, should I expect surprises that the guide does not prepare you for? I can also understand how the other exams are graded and then adjusted so that it may only require a 50%raw score to pass....but what about when only 20 or 30 people are taking the exam...??? I'd love to hear comments and/or advice from others who paved the way, or have knowledge of what I've gotten myself into.

Thanks!!

Curtis (CW#)

 

[metengr]

CW3;
I can tell you from recent experience that NCEES who administers the Principles and Practice exam for Metallurgical Engineering, and TMS that writes the questions do NOT grade on any curve, period. The "scaled" score of 70 mentioned by NCEES does NOT mean 70% correct responses. I believe (my opinion only) a scaled score refers to some questions having more weight than others because the exam is testing minimum competency to practice metallurgical engineering. So, if 2 people or 100 people take the exam, the scaled score of 70 determines who passes and who doesn't. The purpose of the scaled score is to level the playing field each year the exam is administered by NCEES/TMS.

As far as exam complexity, I can tell you from having taken the exam in October, 2003 and passed, the TMS study guide questions are ONLY examples of question format and are NOT indicative of complexity or similarity to what is on the exam. Do not focus too much on these problems. The TMS sample questions, I believe, are intended to introduce you to various areas of metallurgical engineering and how to set up and answer questions. Instead, work example problems in each of the reference books suggested by the TMS reference guide (Hertzberg, Dieter, and Poiter's books in particular). What I found very useful in preparation for this exam is searching the internet for homework problems and exams in metallurgical engineering graduate classes.

Get a good night's sleep before the exam. Show up early and relax. The only practical advice I can give you is to move quickly thru the problems, and skip those that trip you up. Remember, this is all multiple choice so you can come back to answer those questions that are in-depth and not related to your work experience.


GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND OTHERS

 

[Maui]

I'm in the same boat as CW3. I will be taking the exam at the end of October in New York. And I expect the test to be very difficult. As metemgr explains, the example questions given on the TMS website are probably not indicative of the type of questions that will be asked on the exam. But I do expect the test questions to be of the same level of difficulty, and they will probably effectively test the depth of your knowledge regarding the various topics that covered in the test. In this type of exam, time is the critical factor. You have 40 questions to answer in 4 hours during the morning part of the exam, an hour break for lunch, and then 40 more questions in the 4 hour afternoon session. That averages out to about 6 minutes per question. If you find yourself spending more than 6 minutes on a question and you still have no idea how to find the answer, then drop it and move on top the next one. Don't waste your time. And if you can eliminate one or more of the answers, then the probability of guessing the correct answer is improved. And don't spend too much time pouring through the reference books that you bring with you. This is one of the pitfalls of an open book exam. You and I both need to walk in with a strategy that minimizes the amount of time that is wasted. Study, strategize, and put together a reference manual that contains all of the documentation that you consider relevant to this exam so that if you need to find a specific property like the elastic modulus of 304L, you will know exactly where to look. Do not expect to be answering any straightforward or easy questions. There won't be any.


Maui

 

[BobPE]

metenger's advice of showing up early and relaxing are the most important anyone can offer. Bring a large container of something to drink, and something to munch on like crackers...Make use you have enough for morning and afternoon. Find a place for lunch before the exam or bring lunch and eat it in your car or outside the exam building. this may all seem like a bunch of nonsense, but your frame of mind in takeing the exam is what is important. You already know the things you need to know to pass the exam if you made it through an engineering degree.

I can still recall the mental fog I was in after completing the exam, many argue that the fog was permenant till this day ...LOL

I am the laid back type, I took the test cold and did just fine but I work 10 hours a day 5 days a week at engineering...If you are away from engineering on a day to day basis, then studying will have more of an impact.

I have a few friends in materials engineering, they are in high demand. It seems like engineering schools are dropping that disipline...I don't understand why though...

Good luck and definately let us know how you make out...

BobPE

 

[EdStainless]

I took it (and passed) back in '92. There were few takers then also. One reason is that there aren't that many metallurgists out there. How many Met schools are there? And at even those the Mechs out number us 15 to 1. Another reason is that many states don't offer hhte exam. I didn't take it until I moved to OK. I sure wasn't going to wirte the ME test.
There will be a tough engineering econ question. And there will be a couple of questions that have never heard of. Select the questions that you know how to set-up. Start by roughing out your approach and then get to work.
The test is very psyc, metengr is on the money. Feeling comfortable is a huge factor. Wear a short sleaved shirt and bring a seatshirt so that you can be physically comfortable too.
I remember a few of the questions after all of these years. They are good ones.
Any of you that want to, feel free to contact me. Maybe we should have our own little corner of the forum?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Corrosion never sleeps, but it can be managed.

http://www.trenttube.com/Trent/tech_form.htm

 

[CW3]

Thanks! Good advice from all. The test now is all multiple choice, so I know the best answer is there in front of me. Weed out known wrong responses. I'm doing all this a little late in life.....I'm 45 and just took the FE this past April. I AM still in test-taking mode. I know the facility well, the lunch routine, policies, etc. Actually, I'm in good psychological condition as well. I guess I'm just more bugged at the low participation rates in this field. As I said earlier, I wasn't specifically trained in metallurgy in college, but past experience and such has made me as comfortable in this area as I am in any of the strictly mechanical disciplines. I'm under no pressure from work to take this, I'm doing it more for personal interest and achievement. I reckon' there will be a question or two on economics and statistical analysis. Again, it would be nice to see more people involved in this field, but I shall go and do the deed that I am signed up to do!

Thanks,

Curtis (CW3)

 

[swall]

I took the PE exam sometime around 1980 and back then there was no metallurgical engineering exam at all; metallurgical engineering was not recognized as its own discipline. So I took the general PE exam and managed to pass.Since I had not taken the EIT exam, I took it at the same time.Interestingly, the EIT was on the second day, after I had taken the PE.

 

[HgTX]

Regarding setting up a nice comfortable environment, they told us we couldn't have any drinks with us at our tables in case we spilled our drink all over our neighbor's test & reference materials. They had a table at the back where everyone had to leave their drinks. No one was very happy about this.

I sat in the back row, where I could reach the drink table.

What I wound up doing was keeping my drink on the floor next to me, once I'd reached back and retrieved it from quarantine, and no one bothered me about it.

A minor point but some people are more affected by their environment than others (and some get thirstier or need more caffeine).

Hg

 

[stanweld]

swall,
There were Metallurgical PE exams prior to 1980 but possibly not in your State. I had some old exam copies dating from the early 70's and late 60's from California, where I had intended to take the exam in the late 70s and early 80's but the State kept on changing the rules and at one time even discontinued the exam for a few years. I finally took the exam in 98 in Texas, even though Texas would have let me "Grandfather" in.

To CW3, Good luck! All of the advice previously given is GOOD advice!

 

[SMF1964]

I took the PE exam in Pennsylvania in 1993 when it was morning multiple choice and afternoon 'essay' and, like BobPE, I walked in cold but with reference books. One thing I recall from the morning exam was a number of questions dealing with temperatures at which certain metallurgical events occur (such as might be relevant to fire damage assessment or fire event reconstruction). The most useful reference was the metals handbook desk edition. I also recall the Holiday Inn conference room being full of some 200 people, two of which were Metallurgists (self included). I'm not so sure it's a question of very few metallurgists (although that may be true) as it is the question of whether the PE is as necessary to metallurgists as it is to civil or mechanical engineers.

I agree that the number one piece of advice is what is written on the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Don't Panic.

 

[HgTX]

Does that mean you need to bring a towel along with your reference books?

Hg

 

[SMF1964]

Absolutely. A discussion of the benefits are probably not germaine to this discussion thread...

 

[lgearhart]

I had the privilege of being part of a group of a dozen metallurgical engineers (all PE's, of course) who took the test in Dec 2002 for TMS. Our doing that served as a 'calibration' so to speak, of the October 2002 test, and we also got to comment on the 'quality' of the questions. Some we rated as those any metallurgical engineer should know, some we figured were almost off-the-wall esoteric. We also got to comment on the quality of the answers, which was nice. As in any human endeavor, there will be differences of opinion, especially as considers the "best" engineering solution. I'm told our comments got back to the graders, so I considered it a worthwhile weekend's effort.

Being an olde fart, I took the test back in '85, before NY offered a metallurgical PE. The general PE at that time was not difficult, as you had to answer 7 out of 40 questions, plus the economics question. Picking and choosing, I think I did one Civil, two Chemical, and four Mechanical questions. Ah, those were the days…

 

[CW3]

All the tips and advice wer good and much appreciated. I took the exam yesterday. I didn't walk away feeling like I had aced it, nor did I feel like I completely blew it either. I don't know if that's good or bad, so I'll just wait my 10 weeks for the decision and take it as it comes. Once again, thanks to all. This is a great forum and a superb way of sharing info. and ideas within the community.

Best regards to all.

Curtis (CW3)

 

[BobPE]

CW3:

That is great to hear that you took the exam, that is more than half the battle!!! As a fellow PE, I will be thinking good thoughts for you there...

If, when you get correspondence from the PE board, the envelope is fat, then it most likely contains a re-exam application however, if it is thin, you got the old congratulations Mr/Mrs PE letter....

The lore surrounding the exam is quite unique and I pass the story of the envelope to you for posterity.....

Do let us know how you make out....

BobPE

 

[CoryPad]

Don't despair too much if the envelope seems fat - they may be sending you order forms for frames to display your license or copies of your state's laws or membership to NSPE.

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[BobPE]

No need for a frame for the old license CoryPad, it ain't all that big a piece of paper...Don't you have one???

BobPE

 

[CoryPad]

Yes, I do have the paper, but no frame. Most medical professionals (MD, DDS, LMT, etc.) frame their license for public viewing, so I guess the licensing board here thought they could do some good business by selling display materials.

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[UKCats]

I took the Met PE this last Friday in Lex KY. There were 175 total in the room, and the only METs were me and a buddy of mine (2 total). I found the TMS study guide easier than the actual PE test. I have a Chemical and Mechanical PE, so I found the chemistry and mechancial questions very fair, maybe easy. I thought my chances were 75% of passing prior to the test, but now downgraded to 50/50.

Kentucky only gives the exam in the Fall session, so if I don't pass, it's 1 yr before I can do a retake. DOES ANY BODY KNOW A STATE OUT THERE THAT GIVES THE MET PE IN THE SPRING.

 

[HgTX]

The license is, conveniently, exactly the size of yer typical "handsome certificate suitable for framing". Twice the size of my BS (state school), half the size of my BA (private school). For $179.99 or so you can have it attractively mounted on walnut-stained wood product. Mine's in a plastic sleeve velcroed to the cubie wall. I also declined the brass-plated embosser. And still I soldier on bravely.

Hg